— Annual event designed to support and aid musicians;
nationwide guitar contest to honor music legend Hubert Sumlin —

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA — Guitar Center, Inc.
(Nasdaq NMS: GTRC), the leading musical instrument and professional
audio retailer, today announced “King of the Blues” ‘07
— the world’s largest guitar competition. Geared towards
promoting players with deep passion and commitment to the craft, “King
of the Blues” is an annual celebration of a genre that is the
root of today’s music.

Registration for the event begins February 1st at Guitar
Center stores across the nation. 199 locations will be holding in-store
competitions this year. Following the initial in-store competitions,
winners advance through store, district and regional elimination rounds
before reaching the grand finals, which will take place in June. Additional
information can be found at www.gckingoftheblues.com.

“’King of the Blues’ is more than a
talent contest,” said Dustin Hinz, Manager of Event Marketing
and Promotions for Guitar Center. “This is about finding someone
who loves making music and helping him or her become a working artist.
The Blues define today’s music — from Robert Johnson to
The White Stripes and B.B. King to John Mayer, this genre forms the
bulk of what people are listening to right now. By tapping into this
rich and deep musical form, our goal is to find true original talent
— not clones of great guitarists, but rather great guitarists
in their own right who deserve a place alongside the legends.”

Esteemed musician Hubert Sumlin will be honored during
this year’s event through a set of interviews that will run exclusively
on gckingoftheblues.com, and will also perform at the finals. Named
one of Rolling Stone’s “100 Greatest Guitar Players of All
Time,” Sumlin developed a passion for the instrument at age six
when he plucked one guitar string that his brother had crudely nailed
to the wall of their home. Since then, Hubert has achieved iconic status
as the guitarist for blues great Howlin’ Wolf and has been acknowledged
as a key influence by such guitar greats as Eric Clapton, Keith Richards,
Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jimmy Page.

“Mr. Sumlin personifies what the ‘King of
the Blues’ is all about and we’re delighted that he’s
participating,” Dustin Hinz added. “We’re looking
for original talent, and Sumlin is an incredible example of just that.”

…ends 424 words

About Guitar Center
Guitar Center is the leading United States retailer of guitars, amplifiers,
percussion instruments, keyboards and pro-audio and recording equipment.
Our retail store subsidiary presently operates 200 Guitar Center stores,
with 142 stores in 50 major markets and 58 stores in secondary markets
across the U.S. In addition, our Music & Arts division operates
more than 95 stores specializing in band instruments for sale and rental,
serving teachers, band directors, college professors and students. We
are also the largest direct response retailer of musical instruments
in the United States through our wholly owned subsidiary, Musician's
Friend, Inc., and its catalog and Web site, www.musiciansfriend.com.
More information on Guitar Center can be found by visiting the Company's
Web site at www.guitarcenter.com.

The Guitar Center logo is a registered trademark of Guitar Center,
Inc. Other brand or product names may be trademarks of the respective
companies with which they are associated.